Roundup of
world news

* * *

Truth fae Athens

ATHENS — The number of ar
rests in Greece since July 9,
when. 2,800 .people were rounded
up, bas risen to 16,000, as the
government pursues its effort to
wipe out. all opposition.

Though press. headlines con-
tinue to refer to an “interna-
tiona) brigade” which is allegedly
helping ‘the Greek guerrillas now
fighting. the Yroyalist government
from the mountains, even the
Greek army's own chief of staff
announced that’ there is no evi-
dence .of an invasion.

Besides the head of the Greek

Confederation of Labor and thou-’

sands of other unionists, those
rounded up and sent to exile in-
clude prominent . professional and
business people. Many industrial-
ists have opposed the program of
the present monarchist regime on
the grounds that it is preparing
the way for a wholesale invasion
by American big businessmen who
will wipe out local industry.

Government statements that
its drive is aimed only against
“Communists” fall flat here. The
list of names of those arrested
includes some of the most
prominent liberals in the coun-
try.

Dutch boycott

AMSTERDAM — The Wat-
erfront and Transport Workers
Union will boycott all war traf-
fic to Indonesia. This’ was the

decision of a huge mass meeting

of Amsterdam unionists held a
few days ago.

N. H. Dane, president of the
Waterfront unior, made the an
nouncement to the 30,000 who
attended the meeting.

Paul De Groof, secretary-gen-
eral of the Dutch Communist
Party, said workers in several
Amsterdam industries had decid-
ed to strike for one hour at Il
am. last Wednesday against the
campaign in Indonesia.

Aussies clamp down

SYDNEY — Australian long-
shoremen have revived their two-
year boycott of Dutch shipping
as a result of the Dutch. resump-
tion of military operations against
the Indonesian independence
movement. :

The Australian dockers, mem-
bers of the Waterside Workers
Federation, had recently voted to

lift the ban when the Dutch had

signified readiness tc recognize
the independence of their prewar
colony. When the Dutch renewed
their undeclared war on July 26,
however, the dockers immediately
halted the loading of two ships in
harbor and announced their ban

en Dutch ‘shipping would con-
tinue.

The ban was originally decided
on when longshoremen found
that Dutch ships were hiding
military supplies for use against
the Indonesian republic among

their cargoes. Australian dockers
upheld the right of Indonesians
to rule themselves and refused to
aid the Dutch by handling their
military supplies.

Marshall ‘planner’.

NANKING— Lt. Gen. Albert C.
Wedemeyer: arrived here today
with President Truman’s fact-find-
ing mission and said he would
take a “realistic” attitude toward
China's ~. economic, political and
military problems. _

Stressing that his job was to
investigate conditions for Mr. Tru-
man, Wedemeyer said: _

“Good results are likeliest to be
attained through sound and care-
ful planning based not upon what
we hope to be true, but upon
what, through objective and thor-
ough examination, we know to be
true.” : <2 :

Wedemeyer’s statement was in-
terpreted by ‘most Chinese offi-
cials as meaning he would exam-
ine conditions in China in the
light of the new “Truman Doc-
trine” : :

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1947

US loan to Britain puts
clamp on Aussie trade

SYDNEY—Several Australian industries—which depend

on exports for a large part of

ruin as a result of the terms
Though the connection seems
The Anglo-American loan agree-
ment kas a no-discrimination
clause under which Britain must
reject imports from any other
country whenever dollar shortages
force her to reject imports of the
same products from the US.

Because Britain recently an-
nounced her inability to buy Am-
merican tomato sauce, ketchup,
plum puddings, fruit cake,
breakfast foods, ice cream pow-
der and other foods, Britain
had to ban -imports of these

goods from Australia. -

their operations—are facing
of the U.S. loan to Britain.
obscure, here’s how it works:

When. the British dollar short-
age caused cancellation of im-
ports of American books, the
British government had to stop
imports of Australian books.

British hints that canned food
imports may be cut soon have
alarmed fruit canners and grow-
ers and have created the threat
of widespread unemployment in
several areas. Unlike California,
Australia has to export most of
her canned fruits (65 percent)
and dried fruits (80 percent).

Greeks in death camp

ask British

‘help us’

LONDON—Twelve hundred Greek democrats, threaten-
ed with slow torture and death, have smuggled out to Bri-
tain an eleventh-hour call for help. They are among the
first of those anti-fascists whom the fascist Greek govern-

ment—supported by British troops
and U.S. dollars—has sent to the
island of Mudros.

Thousands more are being ar-
rested in Athens and in the coun-
tryside as the Greek government
lashes out viciously against the
rising horror of its policy and
methods.

Here is the message which the
‘first 1,200’ have managed to
smuggle out of the death-camp
at Mudros:

“The Police Chief Lesvos Tsa-
fellas is deliberately seeking to
exterminate us.

“We democratic exiles have
been. ordered to remain without
shelter and without water.”

(This, in the climate of Mudros
at this time of year, is equivalent
to a sentence of slow death.)

“Within 12 hours,” says the mes-
sage, “we have been ordered to
congregate in a space of a little
over 3,500 square yards.

“Only the intervention of out-
side civilized opinion can save the
lives of the exiles from the re-
sults of this Hitlerite persecu-
tion.”

The Greek government contin-
ued to “tell the world” victory
stories of the action of British-

armed and American-paid fascist

troops against the democratic
forces in northwestern Greece,
Special mention was made of
the fact that Spitfires—made in
British factories by British work-
ers—have played and are playing
a leading part in the attack
upon the democrats.
Rocket-firing Spitfires, said a
Reuter’s message from Athens,
“shot up a body of more than

1,500 guerrillas encircled in the
Pindus Mountains.”

Britannia waives the rules

Three persons were killed and many injured wher a British

Navy ‘boarding party’

Exodus” outside territorial waters off Palestine.

seized the Jewish refugee ship “European

Shown above

at Haifa, the damaged vessel’s rails are lined with Jewish immi-

grants and British armed forces

. ... to escort them to their

new ‘homeland’ prepared by British imperialism—a Cyprus con-

centration camp.

US-British reaction supports
Dutch aggression in Indonesia

Defying signed agreements,
20 to reduce the 60 million people of J
more to colonial slaves. There was little pretense ab
gotiator Dr. Hubertus Van Mook suddenly dropped t

the troops were being brought,
up, and said the Indonesian re-

public would have to demilitarize

Vets picket in protest

Canada aid to Holland

MONTREAL—Twenty Canadian veterans most of them

former members of units fighting to free Holland from the
Nazis, yesterday picketed the offices of the Netherlands Con-

sulate General at Stanley Street.

They carried banners

denouncing the invasion of the Indonesian republic by the

Dutch army formations.

Following a 20-minute parade
on busy St. Catherine street, the
members of the municipal and
provincial police -broke up the
demonstration, seizing all banners.

Keynote slogan, held aloft by
be-ribboned vets was “We helped
liberate Holland—give the Indo-
nesian Republic the same free-
dom.”

Leader of the group of veterans
Harry Binder, city organizer for
the Labor-Progressive Party, who
was wounded during the fighting
in Holland, said “we are asking
the Canadian government through
the United Nations and by direct
approach to the Dutch govern-
ment to do everything it can to
bring, the war in Indonesia to a
stop.”

Spokesmen said that the Ca-
nadian government had spent $100
million in credits to the Nether-
land for the purchase of arms
and ammunition now being used
against Indonesia. Dutch troops
wer also. using Canadian .arms
left in Holland. following V-E Day,

they’ said.

to uniforms,

By ISRAEL EPSTEIN

120,000 well-equipped Dutch troops went into action july
ava, Sumatra and other Indonesian islands once
out the whole business.
he liberal mask he had worn while

Dutch neé-

the front between Dutch and re-
publican-hela areas. When Indo-
nesian Premier Amir Sjarifoeddin
suggested that the Dutch do like-
wise and that neutral powers be
askea to arbitrate, the cannon
began to roar.

Those cannon, and the planes
which later bombed republican-
held areas, are not: Dutch. Like
most Dutch ‘supplies right down
they are American
jend-lease, Long ago, the then U.S.
Secretary of State, James F.
Byrnes said it was all right fer
such guns to: kill Indonesians pro-
vided the Dutch removed U.S.
markings.

The British too were involved
in setting the stage. Since there
were no Dutch around on V-J

recommendation was made to
the royal commission created
by the House of Commons to
investigate the publishing in-
dustry. The probe was ordered
after the NUJ charged that
most of Britain’s newspapers
are controlled by four mon-
opoly chains whose top of-
ficials hand down orders on
how to. slant the news.

The national press board, as
envisaged by the union, would
include representatives of the
public as well as spokesmen
for all groups involved in the
publishing of papers. Other
NUJ suggestions to the
mission were: :

To assure a free press”

LONDON—National Union ,of Journalists, which
won a successful fight for a parliamentary probe of Brit-
ish newspaper monopolies has recommended formation of
a national press board to safeguard press freedom. The

and editorial content. °

com-°

@ That parliament establish
a publishing corporation to
provide premises and _ offer
other encouragement to inde —
pendent. newspapers, - veer Loe

@ That a law passed spe-
cifically . prohibiting newspaper
monopolies.

@ That a definite ratio .be
set between the amount of
space devoted to advertising

@ That publication of names
of newspaper owners and ma-
jor stockholders be made com- °
pulsory.

| end of this blockade..

Day, British troops had occupied
key Indonesian points and fought
off the Indonesian independence:
forces: until the Dutch arrived ©.
take over.

Just before the Dutch “blitz”:
the U.S. State Department told
the Indonesians they could hove |
for dollar loans and trade only ~
if they abandoned their distrust:
of their former masters. Behind
this move was pressure froo®
big U.S. corporations whose ey
vestments in the islands, closely
intertwined with Dutch capital
total half a billion dollars.

The major investment. is neld ,
by the Standard-Vacuum Oil Co»
whose Indonesian wells once tat?” '
ed ‘out ‘600,000 barrels of oil *°
month. Before the war, plant®
tions owned largely by the 5
year and U.S! Rubber Compa?
produced half of America’s. TUY —
ber imports, ' )

jes

Besides oil. and rubber, MOF
than 200,000 tons of sugar, “" ¢ :
tens. of. tin, great quantities me ‘
palm oil (used by big soap con
panies), quinine, sugar, ‘tea, per
per and kapok. are now tied ake |
in Indonesian warehouses. VS

They cannot be moved pecaust
of the Dutch naval blockade ¢ i
Indonesian ports. But the *"
and Britain, which want the eet #
plies, have never demanded

The Indonesian Central Labo?
Organization (COBSI) has 4PP Ae
ed to maritime unions every wees
to tie up Dutch ships: “But
COBSI was fooled by the” 8°)
words of the past month. Only
short time ago it asked Austral pigs
dockers, who had refused to toUs
Dutch cargoes’ during the 300
two years of fighting, to aba? wie
their boycott because: negotiatio f

were going so well.

a
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE